StoryTrails Audience Insights Report Impact of Project on Participants

UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, today announced data setting out the impact of its entirely free programme of ten major commissions delivered across the four nations of the UK in 2022. Designed to be a celebration of creativity and accessible and inclusive to all, UNBOXED has brought people together at live events throughout the UK, and through digital and broadcast content, achieving an audience of over 18 million. The announcement marks the close of the live programme at the weekend.

Live events have taken place in 107 UK-wide locations featuring thousands of individual community events; 13.5 million have engaged with content commissioned for broadcast and digital platforms – a number that continues to grow; and 1.7 million have taken part in learning, volunteer and community participation activities. Many of the locations throughout England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are towns, cities and rural areas less well served by major cultural programmes.  The programme has explored important new ideas and possibilities for the future, from sustainability to the power of the human mind, to innovative new ways of storytelling.

Across its live tour StoryTrails engaged its own audience research team which have recently reported some interesting insights into the impact, reflections and reactions of those who participated in StoryTrails in the 15 towns and cities across the UK. Gathered via video “StoryBooths” installed inside libraries and surveys taken during and after the live events, themes of belonging and learning stand out when looking at the impact StoryTrails had on those who participated.

 

Overall 38% of participants were new to immersive technology. Those people with less XR experience were more likely to agree that StoryTrails had allowed them to interact with people they would not normally interact with and saw StoryTrails as a chance to come together and have a shared experience.

90% of participants would like to take part in more Augmented Reality (AR) experiences like StoryTrails. The free Story-Trails app, available in both IOS and Google Play stores features all AR experiences from all 15 locations, accessible either on location or from the comfort of your own home.

85% of people reported to have learnt something new from participating in a StoryTrails augmented or virtual reality experience.

60% reported feeling proud of their town or city after taking part.

71% of visitors more likely to return to their local libraries again in the near future as a result of their visit for StoryTrails. This effect was stronger for younger people.

155 librarians have been trained in immersive storytelling, running scanning and AR trail workshops during live events with participating libraries continuing to run aspects of the project until March 2023 with “StoryTrails stations” inside.

For further information on StoryTrails participating libraries and how to download the free Story-Trails app visit story-trails.co.uk